No Sweeter Words
by Lucathia Rykatu
Summary: In the middle of the Sun Knight selection, Roland and Grisia sneak out of the Holy Temple together, hoping to buy something sweet... only to find out that they're both dirt poor. Now with sequel: Many years since Roland and Grisia sneaked out to buy something sweet, Roland finds himself following Grisia into the city once more. Grisia hadn't forgotten. Happy Blueberry Pie Day!
1. No Sweeter Words

No Sweeter Words

by Lucathia

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Legend of Sun Knight and make no profit from writing this.

**Notes**: April 28th was National Blueberry Pie Day! It just amuses me so much that there's even such a day. I wanted to write a fic to celebrate, so here it is. An hour late, but still! Also, April 29th is Yu Wo's birthday, so happy birthday to Yu Wo as well!

* * *

Roland had made a friend at the selections for the next Sun Knight. His new friend was pretty bad with a sword, but his healing spells were incredible. Roland flipped his hand back and forth. The bruises he had had were completely gone. He could have continued on even with the bruises, but Grisia had insisted on healing them.

"Thank you," Roland said.

"No problem! We're friends, after all!" Grisia grinned.

Friends. Roland hadn't really had friends before.

Suddenly, Grisia's stomach growled. His grin from before turned sheepish. "All that healing makes me hungry... Ahhh, I'm so hungry..."

His head drooped. Even his hair seemed to droop, the brilliant blond color just a bit less shiny too.

Roland rubbed the newly healed skin of his hand, absentmindedly saying, "I have some bread I saved from lunch." Although he didn't know much about healing spells, he thought that perhaps casting them was just like swinging a sword and would expend energy. That meant Grisia was in need of replenishing his strength.

Unexpectedly, Grisia did not take the offered bread, but he did perk up. He turned imploring eyes on Roland. They were the color of the sky on a clear day, carefree and bright. "Don't you have anything sweet? Like... cake? Or pie?"

Roland shook his head.

"Then, let's go buy some! It has to be something sweet!" Grisia exclaimed and pulled Roland right along.

Roland blinked. Then, he looked down at their connected hands. If he gave a tug, he could easily free himself, but he found himself letting Grisia drag him off.

* * *

"What are we doing?" Roland asked once they stopped. They were by a wall.

"Well," Grisia replied, "Buying cake or pie requires us to go into the city. So we have to leave the Holy Temple somehow."

After explaining himself, Grisia tilted his head back to gaze upward. He used his hands to shade his eyes. "This wall is awfully tall though."

Roland studied the wall too. "It's not difficult to climb, but we shouldn't be leaving the premises."

"We'll be back before anyone knows about it!" Grisia immediately said.

With a shake of his head, Roland replied, "That doesn't change the fact that we would be leaving in the middle of the selections."

"Don't worry, Roland! It's not like there's a rule forbidding us from leaving... for a bit. Besides, the next task isn't scheduled until two days later! We have plenty of time." Having said his piece, Grisia tried to lift himself onto the branch of a tree that was next to the wall. He struggled for a bit, feet slipping against the bark, resulting in a moment of frantic scrambling. He did eventually manage to heave himself up. Teetering, he hugged the branch he had just conquered and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Phew, that was hard."

Curious about how hard it was, Roland grabbed a hold of a different branch and swung himself up. The next branch was a bit farther. He could feel the stretch of his muscles as he pulled himself up. This could turn out to be very good training. With that thought in mind, Roland continued climbing until he reached the very top.

"Hey, wait for me!" Grisia scrambled up the tree after Roland, his pace much slower. When Grisia was finally close enough, Roland reached a hand out to pull Grisia the rest of the way. However, he used too much strength - Grisia almost rammed right into him, but Roland hurriedly righted both of them, making sure neither would fall. Grisia gripped Roland's arm, legs shaking. Only after finding their footing did they look around. The drop down was truly very far, but they quickly put that out of their minds. After all, looking up revealed a horizon that hinted at the city beyond.

Grisia stretched his hands out, holding them under the faraway horizon. It was almost as if he held the city in his hands. "Look, look!"

When Roland glanced at his friend, there was a cheeky smile on his face. Grisia showed Roland how he was supporting several houses. Under Grisia's urging, Roland extended his hands out too. It was kind of fun. The houses were really tiny. _How heavy would an actual house be?_

However, Grisia's smile soon turned wistful, and he let his hands drop. He picked at his sleeves and said, "It's nice here. I wish I could stay."

Both of them knew it was unlikely that Grisia would get chosen. He was unlikely to even be considered for any of the holy knight platoons.

Roland frowned. He didn't know what to say to console his friend. Instead, he took action and began descending from the wall, making use of jutting bricks. Grisia had said he was hungry and wanted cake or pie. Roland would find him some.

* * *

The capital of the Kingdom of Forgotten Sound bustled with activity and paid little heed to the two young boys roving from stall to stall. Roland followed after an excited Grisia. His blond friend darted to a stall selling lollipops.

"That's not food," Roland said as he walked up to Grisia. "Aren't you hungry?"

With perfect timing, Grisia's stomach growled. He stared yearningly at the lollipops but forced himself to continue on. His eyes lit up upon seeing a bakery around the corner. "Maybe they'll have cakes or pies!"

They entered the shop and was immediately hit by the aroma of freshly baked bread. Grisia headed straight for the cakes. He squatted down for a better look and licked his lips. "These cakes look yummy!"

Like earlier, Roland was several steps behind Grisia. He approached the cakes. "Do you want one?"

Grisia nodded. "Let's go pay for it!" But before he could bounce over to the counter, he solemnly turned toward Roland and asked a very important question. "By the way, Roland, do you have any money?"

Patting his money pouch, Roland answered, "Two copper ducats."

"That's not enough to buy anything!"

* * *

"Cakes... pies..." Grisia groaned. His stomach growled in protest.

They'd left the bakery, heading back outside. Both boys were dirt poor and had no means of buying a cake. Grisia kicked at the dirt ground.

"Doesn't your family give you any money?" Grisia asked.

Roland didn't shake or nod his head. He merely said, "The orphanage gave me some money before I left, but not a lot."

Grisia blinked in surprise. "You're an orphan too?"

"Too?" Roland asked.

"Oh, um, well, I'm an orphan!" Grisia said. "So I don't have a lot of money either, not like those other boys in the selections who are always flaunting their clothes and weapons."

"Oh," was all Roland could say. Then, he belatedly added, "Yes, I'm an orphan."

Grisia's excitement returned. It was almost enough to rival his excitement from earlier when they had been hunting for cakes and pies. "We should totally stick together, you and me! I'll have your back! Like a big brother!"

Roland looked at Grisia. He wasn't all that tall or muscular, and his face was rounder than Roland's too. If anything, Grisia looked to be the younger one. "Are you sure you're older than me?"

"When's your birthday?" Grisia asked.

"I don't know."

Triumphant, Grisia said, "Well, I don't know when mine is either, so who's to say I'm not older?"

_And who's to say you're not younger...?_ However, Roland didn't argue any further. In any case, he didn't mind either way.

* * *

As they headed back in the direction of the Holy Temple with Grisia's stomach still empty, they suddenly heard words that were as sweet as an angel's blessings.

"Free blueberry pie! Free blueberry pie! Have a slice~!"

When one is as poor as these two boys, there were truly no sweeter words than hearing "free food." At least, Grisia's stomach definitely thought so, even if Roland didn't.

Grisia immediately disappeared from Roland's sight, lured by the promise of free blueberry pie. Only flashes of gold in the crowd guided Roland to where his friend had disappeared off to.

When Roland found Grisia again, he was in front of a stall, eying the blueberry pie on the table. "Is it really free?"

The vendor nodded. "Yup, there are several shops giving away free blueberry pie today in celebration! Have a slice!"

With no hesitation at all, Grisia snatched a slice of blueberry pie and practically inhaled it.

"Is that your friend?" The vendor turned to Roland and asked, "Would you like a slice too?"

"Thank you," Roland said and took a slice. He handed it to Grisia after they left the stall.

Grisia bounced up and down. "Did you hear that, Roland? She said that several shops are giving away free blueberry pie today!" His eyes shone. "Let's go to all of them! Since there are two of us, that means we'll be able to get two slices from each shop. What a deal!"

* * *

By the time they returned to the Holy Temple, it was already past dinner time. Grisia had insisted on going to every single bakery and sweets shop they could find to see if they were offering free blueberry pie. Some shops didn't, but many of them did. They returned with their arms full. Climbing back up the wall was quite an ordeal. The blueberry pies almost didn't make it.

"What should we do? We missed dinner," Roland said.

Grisia waved his hand. "Don't worry, we have pie!"

Pie wasn't dinner, but Roland supposed it was better than nothing. Still, he frowned. "What if people noticed we weren't there?"

"It's not like we're required to be at dinner!" Grisia said.

Something didn't seem quite right with what Grisia had said, but Roland couldn't find anything wrong with it either. He followed Grisia to a secluded corner of the courtyard. Under the setting sun, Grisia spread out the napkins they had taken and the slices of pie they had received.

They had gone to so many shops that even though they had only taken one slice each from each shop, they were able to form a complete blueberry pie. In fact, they could have probably formed two complete pies... if Grisia hadn't eaten a bunch of slices on the way back.

The slices were of varying sizes. The heights were different too, some tall, some short. Some had cream, some didn't. Grisia happily arranged them in a circle.

"How about we both try a slice from the same store?" Grisia asked.

"Okay."

At the same time, they each took a slice of pie and bit into it. This particular slice was from a bakery that seemed to be named after holy knights. The flavor burst in Roland's mouth, making him think of ripe blueberry fields caressed by the sun. He chewed, the crust giving away to the blue treasures hidden within, and as he swallowed, a touch of cinnamon bade him farewell with a lingering taste.

He smiled. It was really good and sweet.

Grisia sighed in content. "Blueberry pie is awesome."

They leaned back, each taking another slice and comparing the taste. Roland hadn't thought he could eat so much pie, but trying these pies from all these different stores was kind of fun. Each pie tasted just a bit different.

"This is the best day ever," Grisia said. He held a slice of pie up. "You know what, we should make today our birthday! Of course, I'm still older, okay? I ate the pie first!"

Roland blinked. "Our birthday?"

"Yes! Birthdays are happy occasions, right? Today is such an awesome day! And you heard what they said! They give out free blueberry pie every year on this day! So next year, we could get more free pie!" Grisia beamed.

Roland looked at the slice of pie in his hand and thought about the day he had spent with Grisia. It had indeed been a great day. It was the first time he'd gone out with a friend too.

He'd like that, celebrating this day again next year with Grisia. He didn't know where he would be in a year, or where Grisia would be, but he'd like that. To a boy who had always been alone like Roland, hearing that his friend wanted to be with him was even sweeter than hearing there was free food.

So, he said, "That'd be nice."

* * *

the end

**A/N:** Thanks for reading!


	2. No Sweeter Words -Re-

No Sweeter Words -Re-

by Lucathia

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Legend of Sun Knight and make no profit from writing this.

**Notes:** Another year, another Blueberry Pie Day. I'd been entertaining the idea of a sequel to No Sweeter Words and thought to post it on Blueberry Pie Day, April 28, but I didn't quite make it. I hope you enjoy it anyway! Happy Blueberry Pie Day!

* * *

Roland had been at the Holy Temple longer than he thought he should be. After reuniting with Grisia, his friend had asked for his help with a small favor. Somehow, it meant donning a mask and a leotard to disguise as the Hell Knight, and somehow, it meant remaining as the Hell Knight even after the conclusion of the three-way death match for the princess's hand.

Currently, Roland was following Grisia, making sure he was okay. Judgment had told him that Grisia had returned blind from the Kingdom of Moon Orchid. Finding out had given Roland a heavy blow. Grisia had given him a place to stay, and Roland had taken him on his kindness and stayed. Yet while Roland had been safe and sound at the Holy Temple, Grisia had been in danger and even blinded.

It was the cost of Resurrection, Judgment had told him. It made Roland glad that Grisia hadn't learned of his death until well after the fact, even though Roland had briefly wished for respite while he had been locked away. Endlessly tortured, Roland's last thoughts had been on the Sun Knight selections from all those years ago and the awe he'd felt over his friend's healing spells.

Back during the selections, the warmth from Grisia's healing spells had been so soothing and gentle that Roland still recalled the feeling, even now when holy light would only hurt him instead of heal him. In his last moments, he had considered that Grisia would have been able to heal him. He was that amazing.

But Roland also remembered Grisia as the boy who would run to him and flit behind him to hide from bullies. He remembered Grisia as the boy who would yelp even at tiny dogs and grip Roland's sleeves, wanting him to chase the dogs away. To Roland, Grisia had always needed looking after, and now, he needed it even more.

So, Roland followed Grisia. It was a harder task than he thought it would be. Grisia always seemed to know where he was, and he often tried to lose him. From time to time, he would even shoot Roland looks that made him wonder whether Grisia were truly blind. Just now, Grisia was making Roland question again. He had stopped by a wall, head tilted upward as if he were examining it with his eyes.

Confused, Roland decided to approach Grisia. He asked, "What are you doing?"

Grisia shot him a look, exactly one of those that made Roland feel Grisia could see. "You mean, what are 'we' doing."

"Huh?"

"Since you've been following me, you might as well come with me," Grisia said. "I'm craving something sweet."

If all he wanted was something sweet, Roland had just the thing. Roland dug around in his pockets and took out a small pouch given to him by Ice. It had the Hell Knight's symbol embroidered on it. Roland hadn't had the heart to turn Ice down even though chocolates would only be wasted on him. He held the pouch out to Grisia.

"Sweet!" Grisia said, taking the pouch without any hesitation. He popped one of the chocolates in his mouth and then proceeded to toss in two more in quick succession. "These are just perfect! Everyone else's chocolates are always too plain. These are great." Grisia turned toward him with a calculating expression. "Let's share next time, too."

Roland watched as Grisia tucked the pouch away, wondering how this was considered sharing when Grisia was the only one eating the chocolates, but it was true that Roland couldn't taste them, and this would appease Grisia's craving.

Or so Roland had thought.

"Come on," Grisia urged, gesturing for Roland to come closer. He then proceeded to climb the wall.

"You shouldn't be leaving the premises," Roland said, still stationary. "Judgment will get angry."

Grisia immediately said, "Don't worry, Roland. You're coming with me, so there's nothing for him to complain about. Besides, we'll be back before he knows it." After saying his piece, a slight gust of wind gathered below Grisia, just enough to give him a small boost. He easily reached the top of the wall.

He looked down toward Roland. "Well?"

"That doesn't change the fact that you would be leaving the Holy Temple..." Roland said. He abruptly paused, feeling like he had said something similar before. He tried to think back, but nothing came to mind right away. In any case, now that Grisia was already on top of that wall, Roland had to make sure to follow closely without losing sight of him.

He craned his neck, locating the branches and jutting stones that would make the climb up easier. Grisia had barely used any of the footholds, instead gathering magic to climb the wall. The Grisia in Roland's memories had been a terrible climber, but it seemed that Grisia had found his workarounds for that. Roland could gather the wind element too or even teleport himself up, but the skills of a death lord still felt like shortcuts to him. He reached out, grabbing hold of a branch. He gave it an experimental tug and deemed it strong enough to hold his weight. He then leaped up the wall with the help of the branch, forgetting to consider altogether that there really was something strange about climbing the wall to leave instead of using the front gates.

Before he knew it, he was on top of the wall beside Grisia, who was looking outward toward the city. Roland followed his gaze, looking at the city that lined the horizon.

Grisia stretched his hands out and remarked, "If I hold my hands out like this, does it look like I'm supporting the city?"

As Roland watched Grisia, a smaller figure with smaller hands came to mind.

He remembered.

Many, many years ago, they'd been on this same wall, looking out at the city. It was just that they were both much taller and older now, and much less carefree.

Before Roland could even answer, Grisia made to drop his hands. Without a second thought, Roland quickly grabbed them to steady them, positioning them so that they were right below several houses.

"Yes, you're supporting the city," Roland said. Grisia, as the Sun Knight, had become a true pillar of Leaf Bud City's. From time to time, Roland had seen Grisia at parades and ceremonies, smiling benevolently as he listened to the people's concerns. Grisia, that boy who'd smiled wistfully and had hoped he could stay in the Holy Temple, had truly become the Sun Knight.

While Roland, on the other hand...

Roland let go of Grisia's hands. After a moment, he held his own outward below one of the small houses, almost as if he were cradling it. "Do you think my hands could offer support, too?"

It was truly nice here. Roland wished he could stay, but the hands of a death lord could only bring harm. Even though Grisia was pretending as if Roland had always been the Hell Knight, Roland knew it couldn't last. He would only bring trouble to Grisia.

But for now, Grisia was craving something sweet. If chocolates couldn't satisfy him, then the only other solution was cake or pie. The least Roland could do was find some for Grisia.

* * *

If the Sun Knight were to walk around the city in broad daylight, he was sure to attract attention, but Grisia's disguise was perhaps not much more inconspicuous. In order to hide his identity, he'd activated Dragon's Saint Brigandine, turning his hair black. Now, he and Roland were eerily alike, two leotard-clad holy knights both with masks hiding the lower half of their faces.

The capital of the Kingdom of Forgotten Sound bustled with activity, but even then, the two masked men didn't go unnoticed. As they browsed the stalls, many people gave them strange looks. Roland followed after Grisia, making sure to keep him in sight.

As another head turned, gaze following them, Grisia commented, "Maybe they'll think we're brothers."

Roland asked, "Should I disguise as a regular citizen?" He could do so by using the heart-shaped ring Pink had given him. He didn't want to cause Grisia any trouble.

Grisia thought for a moment, but he ultimately waved Roland's concerns away. "It's not like the whole continent knows much about the Hell Knight. The Hell Knight could have a brother. Or I could be one of your platoon members who is following your example. It'll be fine. Besides, some of those are appreciative looks..."

Roland wasn't sure any of his platoon members would dress this way, but Grisia didn't seem to be worried, so Roland focused on the mission at hand instead—acquiring something sweet for Grisia.

There was a stall selling lollipops, but that wasn't what Roland was seeking. As they rounded the corner, a bakery came into view. Roland thought they'd have a better chance finding cake or pie there.

The shop indeed had an assortment of cakes and pies. The moment they entered the shop, Grisia took a deep breath and sighed in contentment. "Freshly baked bread, whipped cream, blueberries..."

Roland didn't know how Grisia was able to pick out the smell of blueberries from the rest of the scents that the bakery probably had, but as Grisia headed straight for the pies, Roland found that there were indeed blueberry pies there.

"Do you want one?" Roland asked, reaching for his money pouch to determine how much he had in it.

Grisia considered Roland and asked. "Are you going to pay for it?"

Since Grisia had led them into the city without advance notice, Roland didn't have much money on him, but he might have enough to buy one pie.

Roland gave a nod and pulled out his money pouch.

However, Grisia actually chuckled and said, "Well, lucky you, you won't have to pay anything today."

Roland was confused. He didn't think Grisia would offer to pay. In the next moment, however, Roland realized his error. With two slices of free blueberry pie in hand, it was clear that Grisia hadn't planned on paying at all.

"This store didn't used to give out free blueberry pie on this day, but they joined in on the tradition last year," Grisia explained. "Come on, let's head to the next store!"

* * *

"Free blueberry pie~" Grisia sang, happily leading them to several stalls and shops. Many of them were giving out free blueberry pie for the day. They soon had several slices in hand, enough to form an entire pie, despite all the weird stares they received.

Roland followed after him at a much slower pace, his arms full of blueberry pie.

"You know," Grisia began saying, "I really wouldn't mind if people mistook us for brothers."

Grisia's sentiment was perhaps why he had decided on wearing the Dragon's Saint Brigandine instead of a cloak, and why he hadn't asked Roland to choose a different disguise. Grisia placed another slice of blueberry pie in Roland's pile and asked, "Do you remember what day today is?"

If Grisia had asked even an hour earlier, Roland would have answered in the negative. But with his arms full of blueberry pie and his heart filled with more emotion than he thought he could still feel, he answered, "Our birthday."

Even though Grisia's mouth was hidden by a mask, his smile was evident in his eyes. "Wrong! It's free blueberry pie day."

When Roland stilled, Grisia laughed and said, "I was just pulling your leg. Happy birthday, Roland."

Roland relaxed. "Happy birthday, Grisia."

To two orphans who had agreed on celebrating the day together as their birthday, all those years ago before they had gotten separated, there were truly no sweeter words than hearing their birthday wishes for each other.

They'd finally made it happen, their promise to celebrate this day together again. Even though Roland could no longer taste the pies, he felt himself smiling from the bottom of his heart.

* * *

By the time they returned to the Holy Temple, it was already past dinner time, just like before. They'd gone to all of the bakeries and sweets shops they could find, so many that the Hell Knight would probably be rumored to be a lover of blueberry pie. Or free stuff. What was different was that climbing the wall wasn't much of an ordeal, even with full hands. Grisia flew them over so that none of the pies would be endangered.

Missing dinner wasn't a big deal for Roland. In fact, it made things easier for him. But it was different for Grisia.

"Maybe you can still find some food," Roland offered.

Grisia, who had deactivated the Dragon's Saint Brigandine after three hours, grinned. "Don't worry, there's plenty of pie." In fact, Grisia had already eaten so much pie that he wasn't all that hungry. He did make sure to replenish all the slices he'd eaten before they'd returned though.

"Pie really isn't food," Roland insisted.

"Roland!" Grisia said, aghast. "This is where you're supposed to agree with me, not nag at me! Having Judgment nag about what I eat is already more than enough."

"But he's right," Roland said. Surely, if Grisia had watched what he had eaten more, he too would have grown taller or built more muscle.

Grisia groaned and muttered that Judgment was a bad influence on Roland. He even snatched a slice of blueberry pie away from Roland, leaving eleven slices, which only confused Roland, since he had planned on giving Grisia all of his slices in the first place.

Still grumbling, Grisia began walking off. Roland followed without a word. Once they reached the hallway, Roland figured that Grisia was heading back to his room. Therefore, Roland was about to head to his own room too when Grisia shook his head at him.

"Don't think the day is over yet!" Grisia said. "Come on!"

Confused, Roland thought that maybe Grisia wanted the pie delivered to his room.

However, when they headed inside, Grisia revealed a hidden trapdoor that led to a cellar. The moment they jumped in, several voices exclaimed, "Happy birthday!"

Roland was taken aback.

The rest of the Twelve Holy Knights were all present, and there was food spread out on top of the barrels that were being used as makeshift tables. A colorful banner that said, "Happy birthday, Grisia and Roland!" hung across the cellar. Roland swallowed, hard, and blinked his eyes. He had never expected this...

He looked at the eleven slices of pie in his hands and knew it wasn't a coincidence that Grisia had given him that number of slices. He offered, "Would you like some blueberry pie?"

Roland gave each of them, including Grisia, a slice of their efforts. They'd taken one slice from each shop. No slice was completely the same, having come from different bakers.

"I'll pass," Judgment said when he saw that there were only eleven slices.

Roland shook his head and said, "I've already had my share."

When Judgment merely raised his eyebrows, Roland had the thought that Judgment knew exactly what had happened. But Judgment took a slice, all the same. Roland was glad, as he didn't want any of the pies to go to waste.

To the side, Grisia pouted and said, "Roland! I took a slice to punish Judgment! He shouldn't get any."

Earth chortled. "You? Punish Judgment? Dream on."

"So you were indeed the one who took Roland's share," Judgment said.

When Ice gave Grisia a disappointed look, Grisia had no choice but to return one of the slices to Roland.

Although Roland couldn't taste the pie, he dug in at the same time as the others, not wanting to rain on their parade. Their banter was amusing, and the texture of the pie was fluffy against his tongue. They each shared their thoughts on the slice they'd received, and some even tried to guess which slice might have been made by Ice's father. After that, they broke out the wine, and Roland found himself growing tipsy.

"We'll do this again next year, all right?" Grisia said.

"Let's do this again," Judgment agreed. The rest all nodded as well.

Roland looked at all of them. When Grisia led him into the city earlier in the day, it had never crossed Roland's mind that it was partially a distraction. He had thought that he was the one looking after Grisia, not the other way around. Roland had already been over the moon being able to celebrate this day together again with Grisia. To think that even the rest of the Twelve Holy Knights wished to celebrate with them...

To someone like Roland, who had always been alone, and who had even died alone and forgotten, hearing that his friend wanted to be with him, and that his new comrades who could one day become his friends, wanted to be with him too, was even sweeter than tasting the pie that had once made him think of ripe blueberry fields caressed by the sun.

Maybe it was okay for him to stay. At least for now.

So, Roland smiled and said, "Let's do it."

* * *

the end

**A/N:** Thanks for reading!


End file.
